surface film?

[sfarkhan]

Hi All,

First time with a canister filter and lily pipes and I have surface film - changed 20% water on Sunday.

The lily pipe exhaust is positioned so it doesn't make surface turbulence. I've read that in planted tanks with CO2 injection one doesn't want too much because it makes the CO2 dissipate into the atmosphere.

I know with surface turbulence makes the foam/film go away.

The tank is 2 weeks old - Should I be worried?

pH: 6.4
KH:2
NH3/4: 0.25, 0 free (Seachem)
NO2: 0
NO3: 10

[jweis]

The trick to getting rid of surface film is a skimmer. There are two types that can be purchased. One is for salt water tanks and makes bubbles to remove the scum (this type won't work on freshwater aquariums from what I have read on other forums), the other type of skimmer diverts the inflow from the bottom of the pipe to the top water surface. This second type is what you want. If you have small fry you can just use the skimmer for about 10 minutes each day. Most have a feature where you can engage the top water skimmer or just use it to pull in water from the bottom.

I have purchased both the relatively inexpensive TOMs type (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00176 ... 01_details) and the more expensive Eheim (http://www.amazon.com/Eheim-Surface-Ext ... 683&sr=1-4). I like the Eheim much better becaues the top portion doesn't get stuck and it needs less finese to get it to work well.

There is also another recent thread on surface film. Do a search on "film" and you will find it. Both Sam and I had this problem and Michael recommended the skimmer. It has worked well for both Sam and I.

[sfarkhan]

Thanks Julie, I appreciate the information.

I'll take a look at those. I moved up the lily pipe and pow, the film is gone. I wonder if it's a reoccurring thing or something to expect with a new tank that's with a substrate that's getting settled.

[jweis]

Thanks Julie, I appreciate the information.

I'll take a look at those. I moved up the lily pipe and pow, the film is gone. I wonder if it's a reoccurring thing or something to expect with a new tank that's with a substrate that's getting settled.

I've had my tank set up for almost a year and the film keeps coming back daily unless I use the skimmer.

[DelawareJim]

Sam;

You want the surface extractor. I've hard the Eheim model for over 20 years with excellent results.

Cheers.
Jim

[sfarkhan]

Got it - Thanks for the recommendation. I've been trying not to add more equipment to the tank. I don't mind it as long as it's not bad for the fish and plants.

[jweis]

Got it - Thanks for the recommendation. I've been trying not to add more equipment to the tank. I don't mind it as long as it's not bad for the fish and plants.

I was the same way. The last thing I wanted to do was mess up the aquascaping with another tube. However it does work well. Good luck. Let us know what you end up doing.

[sns26]

Chill, dude. New tanks of any kind take a while to settle down. I think planted tanks are more so.

If I were you, I'd change water religiously twice a week, dose your ferts, feed your fish, and ignore anything else that isn't totally ridiculous. For instance, I had a staghorn outbreak at 2 months that I thought was armageddon. I was ready to nuke the tank. But everyone here said "chill, dude," and two weeks later it was gone on its own.

Having said this, I did end up with a long-term scum problem that I decided to attack with a $10 skimmer attached directly to my filter intake. It's a pretty clean setup if I say so myself. And it works amazingly well. If you want more info, I can post some pictures.

[Jim Miller]

Which skimmer did you end up with?

jim

[sns26]

I used the one Julie gave me, which is the standard $10-15 one that is sold all over the place under different brand names. The skimmer comes with a corrugated plastic hose that attaches via friction fit to the side. I yanked that off and replaced it with 1/2" CPVC that friction fits perfectly. The CPVC runs diagonally down to my filter intake, which comes up through the bottom of the tank. Then I painted the whole works "driftwood brown" with Krylon Fusion, and voila. Since it doesn't come over the tank rim it isn't obtrusive at all. And since I had the paint and the CPVC pipe and fittings lying around (cue spousal eye-roll) the total cost was $0.

The other alternative would be to kneel once more before Takashi Amano and buy one of his modern-art stainless steel gizmos: http://www.adana.co.jp/en/products/na_filter/cleaner/

But mine hides better.